This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 22, 2018 - October 28, 2018

This is a sequel to my recent article in the Forum pages about the momentous day of May 9 when Malaysians rose up after years of slumber and apathy to vote for a change of government in the 14th general election. They did it against all odds and expectations to finally defeat the kleptocratic Umno-led Barisan Nasional government at the polls and bring it to an ignominious end.

In this article, I have tried to make sense, as objectively as I could, of the events and developments that have taken place since then, a period of about five months.

I observed that people appear to have mixed feelings in evaluating the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government so far. We can see that while they are still very much with the new government and are encouraged by many positive developments thus far, nevertheless, there is also a pall of dismay and anxiety about the current state of affairs and the direction we are heading.

The new government is seen as very keen to correct the wrongs and mistakes of the past government, in particular, the legacy of massive debt, corruption and financial scandals left by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that have effectively bled the nation dry. At the same time, the government is striving hard to put back in shape the highly compromised civil service and law enforcement agencies. That much we can acknowledge and accept.

However, there is concern at the lack of cohesiveness in the new government; the internal bickering within the ruling parties and coalition; inexperienced ministers struggling to live up to expectations; unfulfilled election pledges and promises; the politics of race and religion continuing to rear their ugly heads; personal political agendas taking centre stage and overshadowing the national interest; leadership succession issues; and last but not least, the worrying state of our national economy.

Recent events and developments

To the discerning watchers who are keeping close tabs on the affairs of the nation, they are under no illusions whatsoever that the immediate future remains daunting and challenging for all.

Many monumental tasks lie ahead, foremost of which are how to service the massive national debt and juggle cash-flow problems without adversely impacting the national economy and cause further hardship.

Already, many government contractors, big and small, have raised a hue and cry about not receiving timely payment for their contract work, with delays of several months. There is a risk that if this is not immediately addressed, the strapped cash flow of businesses and the consequential effects will snowball and affect the economy.

Be that as it may, we cannot deny that things are happening and unfolding at a fast and furious pace in Malaysia Baru. People are following these developments with bated breath and the fervent hope that most of them, if not all, are for the betterment of the country and people.

So much has happened that we hardly have time to digest and make sense of a significant political event before another comes along.

Indeed, the politics and high drama in Malaysia Baru. with its share of twists and turns, plots and subplots, are worthy of political thrillers penned by the likes of Frederick Forsyth, Tom Clancy and John le Carré. Already, there are blockbuster books like The Sarawak Report by Clare Rewcastle Brown on the 1MDB story, as well as Billion Dollar Whale by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright of the Wall Street Journal, with a movie in the works.

The watershed events

Much has happened within a short span since GE 14. There are too many significant developments to put on record here. To appreciate the rapid pace of events, I will confine myself and put just some of them into perspective.

• By-elections in Sg Kandis, Balakong and Sri Setia were all won by PH with impressive and comfortable margins.

• A possible PAS and Umno tie-up as a new coalition, together with MIC and MCA.

• Rakyat scrutinises 100-day performance and achievement of PH government.

• Jho Low’s super luxury yacht, Equanimity, is seized and brought back to Malaysia with the cooperation of the Indonesian government.

• Jho Low slapped with five charges and his father, with one.

• Najib is initially hit with four charges three for criminal breach of trust under the Penal Code and one under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, followed by three more charges under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC. Then an additional 25 charges (21 under AMLA and four under the MACC Act) are hurled at him in connection with RM2.6 billion belonging to 1MDB, making it a total of 32 charges in all to date.

• Lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah is slapped with four charges — two under AMLA and the other two under the Income Tax Act.

• Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad visited Sabah on Malaysia Day to a rapturous welcome by Sabahans. He announces the government’s commitment to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 but dithers on a 20% oil royalty.

• Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is slapped with 17 charges under AMLA

• Umno stalwarts Datuk Seri Mustapha Mohamad and Datuk Seri Panglima Anifah Aman quit the party.

• Labuan Umno MP Datuk Rozman Isli crossed over to Warisan, making it a total of six MPs who have abandoned Umno to date. The question being asked is whether the party can weather the gathering storm and mutiny.

• Public spat breaks out between Umno and MCA on the state of Barisan Nasional.

• AGMs are held by PAS and Umno respectively, with the leaders of both attending the other’s event. However, plans for a tie-up between them are still in a state of flux without any clear sense of direction.

• Umno president Zahid Hamidi is charged with CBT after being called for questioning six times by the MACC.

• PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim marches to a landslide victory in the Port Dickson by-election, paving the way for him to return to parliament and eventually succeed Mahathir.

What next for Malaysia Baru?

The game of politics will continue unabated with gutter politics, racism and religion as staples, taking up much of the nation’s and the people’s energy at the expense of economic productivity.

PAS is expected to play the main role as an opposition party, perhaps with the feeble assistance of Umno. But the Islamic party too will find itself hard-pressed to remain relevant under the new political narrative. More so with Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang cutting a discordant figure with his outmoded and archaic brand of politics.

Of greater interest and concern to the people is the succession plan and eventual handover of power from Mahathir to Anwar. They remain hopeful that it can done in an orderly manner, at a time agreed between the two.

The expectation is that Anwar shall succeed Mahathir in due course. However, there is also this sentiment that Mahathir must be given time and choose when he wants to bid farewell, and be accorded the honour and deference due to him. He is, after all, a great statesman who has done the nation plenty of good and left us with a great legacy. Well-loved by the people, he is, as Anwar rightly said, like a father figure to us all.

Wan Haron Wan Hassan is a senior practising lawyer and is active in civil society movements. He is also a former treasurer of the Umno Kota Baru division (2004-2008).

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